Railway-car end construction.



J. J. COOPER.

RAILWAY GAR END CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1913.

Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

Invezdfir; James J 600p UNITED s'r TEs PATENT OFFICE.

. JAMES J'. COOPER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RAILWAY-CAR END CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent:

Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

Application filed January 14, 1913. Serial No. 741,999.

Figure l is an elevational view of a car end of my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the car end.

construction of the car body end wall.

In railway cars, and particularly those designed for freight service, the end portions of the car bodies, and particularly the end walls are subjected to severe stresses and strains due to the sudden starting and stopping of the stars and consequent'vibration, also by reason of the shifting of the load or contents of the cars While the latter are in transit, and by reason of shocks and blows delivered to the end portion of the car while the same is in service.

I propose to construct a car end wall from sections of sheet metal, the same being provided with pressed ribs or corrugations, so arranged as to stiffen and strengthen the plate to a maximum degree, and by virtue of such construction all stresses or strains im= parted to the end wall or plate will be trans mitted to the end sill and plates of the car body frame.

The principal object of my invention is to construct the car end wall from a plurality of pieces of material, preferably sheet metal,

each piece or section being reinforced andstiffened by means of ribs or corrugations pressed in the metal, thus providing a'comparatively simple, inexpensive construction which can be readily utilized with an ordiv nary car underframe and superstructure, and "which will be effective in resistingall stresses and strains resulting from shifting loads, ordinary service shocks and vibrations, or collisions.

A further object of my invention is to construct a car end wall or plate in sections, thereby making it possible to utilize comparatively small pieces of sheet metal in the formation of the completed end, which small pieces or sections can be more readily handled during the formation of the reinforcing ribs or corrugations than where a large single piece of material is utilized as the car end or plate.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive the car end wall is composed of two sections of sheet metal, the upper and lower and outer edges of which sections are bent at right an les to the plane occupied by the main bo y portions of the sec tions in order to form marginal flanges 2, whereby the end wall or plate may be readily attached to the car body frame. The inner or meeting edges of the two sections are bent outwardly, as designated by 3, to form coinciding flanges, and seated in these flanges are suitable fastening means such as rivets. By thus dividing the end wall on a central vertical line, and by forming flanges on the meeting edges of the sections, a centrally arranged, vertically disposed rib is provided for the end plate which materially stifi'ens and strengthens the same.

Formed in the two sections of material of which the end plate is formed, and at points approximately midway between the top and bottom of said end plate, are horizontally disposed ribs or corrugations 4 which start near the outer. edges of the sections and gradually become deeper and wider toward the inner meeting edges of said sections. By such construction a centrally arranged, hori zontally disposed rib or corrugation is formed in the end plate, which rib or corrugation intersects the vertically disposed strengtheningand reinforcing rib or member comprising the coinciding flanges 3.

Formed in the sections of metal of which the end wall or plate 'is composed, and located above and below the horizontally disposed ribs or corrugations 4 are pairs of di-' agonally disposed ribs or corrugations 5- ing pair of these ribs'or corrugations 5 unite, as designated by 6, immediately adjacent to the inner edge of the corresponding section.

Byvirtue of such construction the upper and lower portions of the end wall or plate, or those portions above and below the horizontally disposed reinforcing rib or corrugation, are stiffened and reinforced by the diagonally disposed ribs or'corrugations which practically intersect one another, the point of intersection being coincident with the vertically disposed rib or reinforcement formed by the outwardly turned flanges 3.

By my improved arrangement of ribs or corrugations the entire end wall or plate is materially stiffened and strengthened, and when the same is combined with the underframe and superstructure of a car body all ordinary stresses and strains imparted to the end wall or plate will be effectively resisted.

The ribs or corrugations are formed in the sheet metal in any suitable manner, preferably by means of presses, and by forming said end wall or plate in sections, the latter can be more readily handled by the workmen during the formation of the ribs or corrugations than where the end plate is formed in a single large section.

My improved construction effects a mate rial saving in the initial cost of construction of the car end and in the cost of repairs, and by the formation of the ribs or corrugations in the sections of sheet metal forming the end wall, the latter is materially reinforced and strengthened against internally or externally applied stresses, and the impact of all blows which the end plate may receive in service are transmitted to the walls and plates forming a part of the car body frame.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various'parts of my improved car end may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims. I

I claim:

l.-A car end comprising two conversely identical sheet metal sections, each section having formed therein reinforcing ribs or corrugations.

. 2. A car end comprising two conversely identical sheetmetal sections, each section having formed therein'reinforcing ribs or corrugations, and the ribs or corrugations of said sections joining at the junction of the sections.

verging from the junction of the sections.

4. A car end composed. of two sections of sheet metal provided with stiiening ribs or corrugations which coalesce at the junction of the sections, the said sections having connecting flanges extending from the protuberant sides of the corrugations.

5. A car end made up of a plurality of joined sections of sheet metal in which are pressed stiffening corrugations. which coalesce at the junction of the sections, the said sections having connectingflanges extending from the protuberant sides of the corrugations.

6. A car end composed of bi-laterally symmetrical sections of sheet metal, the meeting edges of'which are flanged and attached to each other, and said sections having formed therein stiffening and reinforcing ribs or corrugations continuing to said flanged edges.

7. A car end composed of separate sections of sheet-metal joined together, said sections being provided with diagonally disposed stiffening ribs or corrugations which intersect at the junction of the sections.

8. A car and comprising a plurality of sections of sheet metal secured together-at their vertical edges and provided with a medially disposed horizontal stiffening corrugation and diagonally extending corrugations above and below said medial corrugation, said corrugations being continuous substantially from side to sideof the end structure.

9. A car end composed of a plurality, of sheet metal sections having vertical edges flanged and joined to form vertical stiffening members, said sections being-provided with stiffening corrugations diverging from said flanged edges. p

10. In a car end, a sheet metal panel pro vided with stifiening corrugations and having an attaching flange shaped to accommodate said corrugationc. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this eighth day of January, 1913.

JAMES J. COOPER.

Witnesses Rosana: J. Scanner in, Jr.. JOHN B. HERMAN, Jr. 

